Buckle



March 8 Q 1927- Filed llay 25, 1926 LL5 Er INVENTOR Loans 1. at. w

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNITED? SIT PATENT oral-cs.

LOUIS LEHR, OF BRIGHTON HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OR TO SIMONERUNER, OF?

FAR ROGKAWAY, NEW' YORK.

BUCKLE.

Applicationfiled. May,25,- 192 6. -Serial No. 111,500.'

The .present invention relates to what is termed novelty jewelry and particularly toa buckle .or .clasp having a removable symbol member to a buckle as provided by the pres ent in vention, however, necessitated a novel rearrangement of the component parts of the I buoklein order, to provide a simple structure} and at the same timemaintain the required 1 durability and assurance of locking the initial, in placetov avoid accidentalloss.

A buckle isiused under conditions-that are differentv from those under which a finger ring isused :The latter is usually givena certain amount of care 1n handling, whereas, a buckle as when used on a shoe ,1s'

frequently subjected to, imp acts. I and jars,

WVhen, therefore, an initial member is to beincorporated in a buckle it mustnotonly be constructed for expeditlous and convenient attachment or removalybut must mclude fastening means of such a character as to.

avoid the possibility of dislodgment from careless use.

An object of thepresent invention, therefore, 1 to provide a simple and attractive convenient and expeditious manner.

Another object of theinvent on rs to pro.- vidc a rigid mounting constructed and. ar-

ranged to embody means for securing the mounting to an article;

Other objects and advantages Will be ap parent as;thedescription proceeds.

A, buckle constructed in accordance with" the present invention may comprise a frame to receive an initial. The initial may be mounted on or may be .part of a removable plate which may be secured to the frame. The several parts are. so arranged that the initial member can quickly be replaced by another member without the exercise of skill and with a minimum amount ofeffort,

A Storekeeper need therefore, only stock the usual number of buckles with sets,of dif- J ferent initials or symbolsand may readily meet a demand for a set of buckles with a given nitial or symbol.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference .to the accompanying drawings in which F1g. 1 is a top,.view of a buckleembody 111g. my invention;

Fi'g. 2 is an enlarged back view of the buckle "shown in -Fig. 1 partly'broken away; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the buckl'eb taken on line III III in Fig.2 but showmg the initial member imposition before being locked;

ber locked in position;

Fi 4 is a sectional view takenon line V II I III in F g. 2 showing. theiniti'alvmem- V Flg, 5 isfa e onalview taken on line,

V-V in Fig. 2; and

F g- 6 1s a vlew of a flexible backing meme her or insert which serves as a flap to sew or otherwise attach the'mount to an; article As an, exampleof one embodiment ,of the inyention I have illustrated/its, application to, a buokleforuse on a shoe .or slipper in.

which case I providea frame 5 slightly article -to which it may be applied The frameispreferably .made of metal, assilver, or brass-silver plated and.;the ex-.

. bowed to: conform with theashape of ;-the

posed surface or face. 6 maybe ,leftjplain,

Theframeb isadapted .to receive a ,re.-.

'movable initial member; in'the ,fornrmf a plate 7 the ends of which :are. seated .in eX'r. tensions oronlips-8 and 9 at oppositeedges. of .the,inner. sideof the frame .(see Fig.

The plate? may also be slightly bowed but its normal curvature is of a less radius than that of the frame. When the plategis dis posed on the lips 8 and 9, therefor, it extends slightly above the face of the frame asshown in Fig. 3. Theplateis, however,

made'ofa flexible'material as a metal. and. when locked in position is flexed to takethe curve of the frame and lie fiushqwiththe said face thereof... The purpose of this-construction will presently be described.

The plate may be adorned with any pleas ing design and .may haye an initial ,or otl1e'r symbol integral with-or attached to its ex;

1 l nted by engraving orembossing ornament having a removable portion wh ch 3 may be replaced by another port on IIIIZL- posed surface. The frame 5 is provided with a cross-piece 11 which is preferably made integral with the frame as are the lips 8 and 9 all being formed from a single sheet of metal and the complete structure for our rying the plate 7 may be termed a mounting or mount. The lips are sufficiently offset from the face of the frame 5 to allow for the thickness of the plate 7 to permit it to be properly noted with its exposed surface flush with the face of the frame or mount. Means for removably attaching or locking the plate to the mount may comprise a pivoted part 12 comprising a fiat member 13 having arcuate edges 14 and 15 adapted to be moved across apertures 16 and 17 in the cross-piece 11. The pivoted part or locking member 12 may be provided with a tubular stud 18 pressed from the flat member 13. The stud may extend through a suitable hole in the cross-piece l1 and may be riveted to hold the locking member 12 in position for oscillatory movement.

A slot 19 may be provided in the member 13 for the reception of a tool as a screw driver to actuate the member. Association between the locking member and the plate 7 is attained through a pair of stems 21 and 22 which extend from the concave side of the plate 7 and when the same is in position for attachment to the mount, the stems enter and project through the apertures 16 and 17. The exposed ends of the stems are provided with notches 28 and 21 so that when the member 13 is moved the arcuate edges 14 and 15 thereof engage with the stems and hold the plate in proper relation to the frame 5. In applying the plate 7 for attachment to the mount it is pressed tightly against the lips 8 and 9 until it takes the general curvature of the frame and when in such position it is slightly flattened and attains an internal tension. When the plate is thus flexed and pressed against the lips of the mount the notches 23 and 2 1 of the stems are in position to be engaged by the locking member 12 and when engaged therewith the plate is held under tension and any play or lost motion is avoided. The re silient retention of the initial member is important in an article of the present character.

WVhen the buckle is used on a ladys shoe, for example, any vibration or impact during use in the case of loose parts, would result in undesirable sounds or wear and perhaps the loss of the initial member. The present invention, although providing a removable initial member which may be readily supplied by a Storekeeper, is of such construction that the initial member may be locked and the several parts constitute acomposite article having the solidity of a single piece member.

In combination with the locking means the present invention provides an insert or backing piece 25 of a flexible material as leather or cloth for attaching the buckle to a shoe, as by sewing. This backing is also employed as a filling to give a pleasing contrast to the buckle by showing through any openings as 26 which may occur in the de sign.

The mount is so constructed as to secure the insert or backing piece thereto. For this purpose the cross-piece 11 is offset from the concave face of the frame to embrace the backing piece which is disposed between the plate 7 and the cross-piece 11. The backing piece is provided with a central aperture 27 to permit stems 21 and 22 of the plate to pass through the cross-piece 11 and is also provided with collateral indentations 28 and 29 to permit the backing piece to substantially cover the whole area of the mount and show through any openings that may be part of the design.

The locking means which may comprise the cross-piece 11 and the locking member 12, therefor, not only locks the plate to the mount, but in conjunction with the insert 25, provides means for securing the buckle to the article upon which the buckle is to be used.

Although an article of the type above set forth is generally termed a buckle it is in the true sense an ornament and it is to be understood that many uses may be made thereof and modifications made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An ornamental device comprising a frame, a resilient member, a stem projecting from said member and means for engaging said stem when said member has been flexed to conform to the shape of said frame.

2. An ornamental device comprising a frame, an initial member, a stem extending from said member, a cross-piece on said frame having an aperture to receive said stem and a locking member engageable with said stem to secure said plate in contact with said frame.

3. An ornament comprising a mount including a frame, an initial member in the form of a resilient plate, a stem extending from said plate, a cross-piece on said frame having an aperture to receive said stem, and a locking member to engage an end of said stem when said plate is pressed in tensional engagement with said frame.

41. A buckle con'iprising a frame of bowed shape, an initial plate bowed with a normal radius of curvature less than that of the frame, a crosspiece on said frame having an aperture, a stem extending from said plate and through said aperture, and means for holding said plate in contact with said frame.

5. A buckle comprising a frame, a resilient initial member, lips adjacent the inner edges of said frame to seat said member, a cross-piece on said frame having apertures, stems on said member arranged to enter said apertures, a backing piece between said member and said crosspiece and means for securing said member to said cross-piece.

6. A buckle comprising a frame, a pair of oppositely disposed lips on the inner edges of said frame, an initial member disposed Within said frame and seated on said lips, a pair of stems projecting from said member, a flexible insert for attaching the buckle to another article, a cross-piece on said frame for embracing said insert, said cross-piece having apertures to receive said stems, said insert having an aperture to permit the passage of said stems through said crosspiece and means for locking said stems to the cross-piece to hold the initial member on said frame and for securing said insert to said buckle.

7. A buckle comprising a frame, an initial member, extensions upon the inner edge of said frame to seat said initial member, a stem projecting from said initial member, an insert for attaching said buckle to another article, a cross-piece on said frame disposed to embrace said insert, said crosspiece having an aperture to receive said stem, said insert having an aperture to permit the passage of said stem through said cross-piece and means for locking said stem to the cross-piece to hold the initial member in position and to secure the insert to said frame.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

LOUIS LEHR 

